Automatic mail-deliverer.



W. B. THAYER.

AUTOMATIG MAIL DELIVBRER. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 1907.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

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UNE STATS AUTOMATIC MAIL-DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed December 30, 1907. Serial No. 408,608.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BERTRAND THAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Muscogee and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Mail-Deliverers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic mail deliverers, which are located by the roadside in rural free delivery districts, and are adapted to the collection or delivery of mail by a carrier seated in a carriage by drawing mail box towards said carrier; and the objects of my improvements are first, to providea device that will not be affected by severe winter weather from working. Second, to afford facilities for drawing box into carriage and emptying contents in bag of carrier. Said box upon being released to return to original position, means being provided for a certain radial horizontal movement, as well as the one returning upright to a vertical position, to allow of variation in relative position of carrier to support upon which box is pivoted, and third, to provide a system of signaling applicable to box owner and carrier.

1 attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1. is a side elevation of deliverer and attachments. Fig. 2. an end elevation of deliverer in usual position, dotted lines showing position when drawn into carriage. Fig. 3. a partial section at ball and socket joint. Fig. 1. a plan view of ball and socket joint.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

No.5 is the ball stand with base adapted to attaching to a post or other surface, containing spring 6, one end of which is attached to ball stand 5. The other end to socket piece 9, spring 6 keeping portion 7 or rim of socket 9 at point where V groove 11 is situated in same, in contact with stop pin 8, which stop pin is rigidly located in ball stand 5 and projects sufiiciently to act as a stop to socket rim 9, at point where V groove 11 is located in same.

The purpose of the V groove 11 is to bring socket 9 back to original position after socket 9 has been deflected from a vertical towards a horizontal position with a slight rotation of socket 9 upon its axis, when the angular 1 side of V groove 11 sliding upon pin 8 guides socket 9, back to original position through tension of spring 6 thus allowin of slight deformation of spring without affecting the return of point of V groove 11 in socket 9 to its original position over stop pin 8.

The upright 12 is securely attached to socket 9 and supports member 13, upon top end'of which is a shoulder designed to keep moisture from getting into upright 12. There is a washer or buffer 14 of suitable material between end of upright 12 and shoulder of member 13 to prevent doing injury to end of upright 12 in working of deliverer as well as to prevent box from rotating too freely.

The mail box 15 is of regulation size, rigidly attached to member 13. Said box has an end door 16, hasp 17, staple 18 and lock 19, or similar suitable means to enable collector to revolve box so that door 16 is downward and after being drawn into carriage and having unlocked box permits of mail to be collected by dropping in bag of carrier.

The dotted lines show an adaptation of stand 5 to a vertical surface as shown by 20.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming that the owner has placed mail in box for carrier to collect, he turns the end marked U. S. Mail toward road, the other end being blank. Should there be no mail for carrier, a side with owners name of a certain color is turned towards road. Should the carrier have any mail for owner, the U. S. Mail end is turned towards house. Should there be no mail for owner, a side of certain color is turned towards house.

Having described the mode of construction of my deliverer so far as necessary in relation to improvements in same over other deliverers, what I claim as new and desire to secure Letters Patent on is.

1. In an automatic mail deliverer the combination of a ball, a stop attached to said ball, a hollow upright member of suitable material having a socket adapted to fit over said ball and adapted to engage stop on said ball, a spring connecting said upright memher to said ball and adapted to automatically return said upright member from a horizontal to a vertical position, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an automatic mail deliverer the combination of a hollow upright member having on one end a socket, a second hollow upright member having on one end a mail box provlded with an end door, sald second uprlght member being slidably and rotatably mounted in said first upright member, a ball having a cavity in its center and a spring in said cavity one end of said spring being attached to said ball and the opposite end ate WILLIAM BERTRAND THAYER.

Witnesses 7 ROBERT LEE EDMOND,

J. P. GOLDEN. 

